At that instant, the dining room fell into a sudden, oppressive silence.
After a moment, it was Jasmin who broke the quiet, her voice trembled as she sniffled. “Sis, you’re not skipping breakfast because of the Wilson family thing, are you? If that’s the case, then I’ll go take the punishment instead!”
With that, she turned to run outside.
Stephen hurriedly grabbed her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. “If someone has to die at the Wilson family, it should be Sheena! How could it be you?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Stephen froze, stunned at his own cruelty.
'She’s my sister too...' he muttered inwardly.
Instantly, Sheena’s eyes turned ice-cold, as if looking at a sworn enemy. “Stephen, I will never waste another ounce of emotion on someone as vile as you for the rest of my life!”
Her words shattered the fleeting guilt in Stephen’s heart. His face twisted in anger. “Fine! Sheena, you’re really something!”
He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the storage room, slamming the door shut.
Before locking it, Stephen spat out his final words, his voice trembling with rage, “Sheena, you can stay there until you come to your senses and agree to make breakfast. If not, then rot in there for all I care!”
With that, he stormed off, taking Jasmin with him. Before leaving, he sternly instructed the servants. “Don’t let her out until she admits she was wrong and cook breakfast!”
What Stephen didn’t know was that Sheena was already running a high fever.
Her sprained ankle, untreated from the night before, had swollen grotesquely. On top of that, her skin had scraped against the rough ground as she was dragged, leaving raw, bleeding wounds.
The searing pain on her scalp from having her hair yanked was now the least of her worries.
At first, Sheena banged on the door and screamed for help. But before long, her strength gave out, and she collapsed unconscious.
The servants, following orders, ignored her silence and they didn’t open the door.
It wasn’t until Amanda casually asked about her that the truth came to light.
Since losing her youngest child, Amanda had suffered from chronic headaches, which had only worsened over the years. But things had slightly improved after Sheena returned from the countryside.
Although Sheena was cautious and distant in the Brooks household, Amanda noticed her daughter often stealing glances at her.